NetEnt has dominated this category to such an extent that in recent years, the judging panel has been forced to ask the question: has anyone performed better than NetEnt over the past year?

The answer, yet again, is a resounding no.

While it may have been forced to issue a profit warning in January for its Q4 performance, the company remains on course to see revenue and profit growth for 2017. In the first three quarters of the year, it signed deals with 21 new operators and launched 14 of them.

It opened in new markets such as Mexico, the US and the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, it strengthened its live casino and mobile product, and it continued to launch game after innovative game.

NetEnt refused to stick to an established formula with games such as Finn and the Swirly Spin, which abandoned the traditional tumbling reels in favour of a groovy spiral. NetEnt remains the casino supplier to beat.